If you live in Minnesota, this last week you experienced a
nice – and somewhat stressful – snowfall. The last few days – as I sludged
through the snow – I noticed the difficulty I was having and the puddles I would
create everywhere I went. This got me thinking, are our
website designs knee deep in sludge too? What kind of a puddle (mess) are we creating?

Websites may be cluttered if:

Imagery is overwhelming the user

If your content could be classified as a small
book

Users ignore the most important aspects of a web
page

Important links and features are not being
clicked on/through

Users leave page more quickly than other pages

Users provide negative feedback on web page as
frustrating/busy

A blog from Graphic Design Blender highlights 4 ways you can reduce clutter:

Organize: Make it easier for visitors to find
what they are looking for

Prioritize: Decide what the most important
content is and sell it well

Minimize: Decide what you can live without

Analyze: Learn what works well for site users
and what makes them leave

When it comes to the designs of your website it is important that you provide the opportunity for users to encounter a good experience. Simply put, clutter creates less of a positive experience for the users. Make sure that you analyze the clutter on your site and adjust accordingly.